Public Housing and Life Chances: Insights from a Longitudinal Study

Abstract

The lack of affordable housing for low-income families with children in Australia is an issue of considerable concern in a context where access to public housing has become quite restricted and where home ownership remains the dream. The longitudinal Life Chances Study provides data to explore housing histories of 137 families with young children over an 18-year period, highlighting the lower home ownership of low-income families over time. The article then considers the housing history of 20 of the families who lived in the same high-rise public housing estate at the start of the study. Three case studies illustrate their housing pathways. While families had both positive and negative experiences in public housing, public housing provided an affordable and secure base while they established themselves in employment and saved to purchase homes. The article confirms the importance of access to public housing for low-income families.